Economic evaluation and budget-impact of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) versus standard or hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (WBI) in postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer. Results from the French SHARE randomized trial

Purpose: This economic evaluation reports the incremental cost-utility ratio and national budget impact in France of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) vs standard or hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (WBI) in breast cancer patients at low risk of local recurrence. Materials and methods: We compared 490 women randomized to the APBI (ten fractions delivered twice daily over one week) with 488 women in the WBI arm (one fraction per day delivered five days per week over three or six weeks). We took the perspective of the French national health insurance with a threeyear time horizon. The outcome was quality-adjusted life years (QALYs). The incremental costeffectiveness ratio was estimated and uncertainty was explored by probabilistic bootstrapping. Transportation and sick leave costs were added in a sensitivity analysis and a national budget impact analysis based on the incidence of breast cancer estimates in France performed. Results: At three years, the average cost per patient was 2,549 pound (+/- 1,954) in the APBI arm and 4,468 pound (+/- 1,586) in the WBI arm (p-value < 0.001), radiotherapy was the main driver of the difference between the two arms. No significant difference was found in QALYs. For an average of 60,000 new cases of breast cancer diagnosed annually in France, 28,000 would be eligible for treatment with APBI. A 100% uptake of APBI would result in a yearly30 million_ cost saving. Conclusion: APBI for the treatment of postmenopausal women with early-stage breast cancer is cost saving, with no difference in outcome measured by QALYs. (c) 2023 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Radiotherapy and Oncology 186 (2023) 1-6

Automated summary

This study evaluates the cost-effectiveness and national budget impact of accelerated partial breast irradiation (APBI) versus standard or hypofractionated whole breast irradiation (WBI) in low-risk breast cancer patients in France. The results show that APBI is cost-saving and there is no significant difference in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) compared to WBI.